The book presents up-to-date and unifying formulations for treating
dynamics of different types of mechanical systems with variable mass.
The starting point is overview of the continuum mechanics relations of
balance and jump for open systems from which extended Lagrange and
Hamiltonian formulations are derived. Corresponding approaches are
stated at the level of analytical mechanics with emphasis on systems
with a position-dependent mass and at the level of structural mechanics.
Special emphasis is laid upon axially moving structures like belts and
chains and on pipes with an axial flow of fluid. Constitutive relations
in the dynamics of systems with variable mass are studied with
particular reference to modeling of multi-component mixtures. The
dynamics of machines with a variable mass are treated in detail and
conservation laws and the stability of motion will be analyzed. Novel
finite element formulations for open systems in coupled fluid and
structural dynamics are presented.